Just Call Me
by akakurogin
Summary: [ONESHOTS] Yanagi's story from when he left Tokyo through the final showdown in the Kantou finals. Sanada's story of why he joined tennis. [Various. Includes YanaYuki, SanaYuki, YanaInui, etc.etc.]
1. Just Call Me

Title: Just Call Me  
Rated: PG  
Main Character: Yanagi Renji  
Disclaimer: not mine, cool? cool.  
Um: It's basically set before and during the Kantou finals.

Note: So I'd had this fic lying around unfinished for over a year, because I was too disturbed at the age that they started out at for the fic. I keep feeling like I've posted it before and someone mentioned that, which stopped me from finishing it, but I don't remember when/where. When I found it today, I decided, "to heck with it; I like the story, who cares about their ages," so I finished it. Uhm... point of that is that you may be disturbed by their ages also... just tell yourself "it's a different world so whatever"? .;

* * *

_"We'll always be partners, right?"__  
"Of course."_

"No way! Yanagi?"  
"No wonder he's so quiet!""And weird, too! Keeps tabs on all the top boy tennis players."  
"Probably looking for a boyfriend."  
"And his hairstyle!"  
"I wonder why we didn't notice before."

* * *

Gossip among boys was as vicious as it was stereotyped among girls, at times - especially if it was as newsworthy as young tennis star Yanagi Renji being gay. It was a good thing Inui Sadaharu was at a different school - at least they could continue playing tennis at the club without whispers circulating the court. But someday, Yanagi knew, Sadaharu would get caught in the whirlwind of it all. His preference, in their world, was too much of a taboo, too rarely discovered, for it to ever be easily covered up, brushed away like a rumor about a boy liking a girl. 

His parents even felt disgraced by him - just his existence. People talked. Oh, how he knew of how people talked. Children and adults alike, boys, girls, neighbors, the mailman, teachers - they all knew. He knew they knew. He knew when all conversation stopped upon his entering a room, when everyone waited for him to leave the changing room before changing themselves, when for the first time since first grade, he received nothing on Valentine's Day, when neighbors refused to come near their house, even for New Year's greetings and simple neighborly pleasantries. He knew. For the first time since he'd discovered tennis and became a local child star, he lowered his head and stared at the floor when walking. For the first time since he started developing athletic abilities, he was last to be chosen for gym class teams. For the first time, he ate lunch alone, went directly home after school, and was left at home when his parents went out.

His mother cried. His father railed. Neither wanted the connection to a son who liked boys. It was weird and wrong. His mother was sorry she raised him wrong. His father worried about his company finding out. Both tried to get him to like girls, but preferences are something one is born with - it doesn't change that easily. Not to mention, he didn't want it to change.

His only solace - the only time when he could forget, the only place where he could pretend no one knew, was at the tennis courts, playing with Sadaharu. It was OK because Sadaharu lived two neighborhoods over and hadn't heard the rumors or anything yet. It was OK because the combination between Sadaharu and himself was perfect - was right. It was because Sadaharu was Sadaharu - the boy he loved.

_"Just call me Sadaharu. We'll be best friends..."_

How long had they been playing together? Their coach had a schedule conflict one day, and so had to combine their lessons. He decided it'd be a good time to introduce them to doubles, and they had decided to stick with it. They both had above-average intelligence, and used it to their great advantage.

There was that promise. When their coach had taken them to America to play in the ten and under division in an international tournament in Hawaii, Sadaharu had asked him about forever. On the small strip of beach their hotel owned, facing the clear sky and studying the stars, they had made a promise to always be partners.

They had both planned on taking the entrance exam for Seishun Gakuen - then they could play on the same school team. He'd been looking forward to that. He had been able to feel the blue and white Seigaku jersey on his skin, had been able to see the cheering stands at the Nationals tournament when they won doubles, Sadaharu and himself.

Yanagi wasn't quite sure of when exactly he'd realized his feelings for his partner. Children his age shouldn't be thinking of dating anyway, right? But that was because girls still had cooties. He had already completely forgotten how it was that everyone knew of his attraction to another boy. His parents had taken him to a psychologist at the suggestion of a friend, who had since shunned the Yanagi family to save the reputation of his own, and while they said nothing could be done about his preference, his memory loss was probably a result of post traumatic stress disorder, and that he would remember with time. "And at such a young age, too... How sad." They had been the ones to suggest the move, clarifying how a new environment, where no one would know of his secret, might help him live at least the semblance of a normal life.

So his parents looked for a good school with a strong tennis team outside Tokyo. The Kanagawa prefecture boasted of a Rikkai Daigaku Fuzoku, reputed for having formidable tennis players and producing full teams worth of professional players. Although he'd already been assured of admission to Seigaku, along with Sadaharu, he took the entrance exam for Rikkaidai.

* * *

The day he found out he was admitted, his parents finalized the sale of the house in Tokyo and the purchase of a house in Kanagawa. That Friday, he won his last match with Sadaharu. They played their first game against each other at the club. He was winning, but there was no joy in his almost-victory, because he knew the boxes were packed at home and the moving truck was scheduled for the next day and that a new life for him would begin after the game ended. He was winning because he promised himself that if he lost to Sadaharu, then he would confess. Unfortunately - or perhaps fortunately, their game had never been finished. 

The next day, Yanagi Renji clutched his tennis bag close as he sat in the backseat of his parents' car, watching the place he grew up in pass by as they moved to start a new life. When spring break ended and school started, he earned a beige and white tennis club jersey instead of a blue and white one. He was playing by himself; there was no Sadaharu by his side. There were, however, two other first years wearing the same jersey - Yukimura Seiichi and Sanada Genichirou. When he won doubles one at Nationals that year, it was with Seiichi at his side, not Sadaharu.

Many times he had reached for the phone, instinct dialing Sadaharu's number so they could discuss recent opponents and training routines, only to have the operator tell him the number didn't exist in the current area code. He followed the news on the junior high level tennis teams in the Tokyo prefecture, looking for Seigaku and for mentions of Sadaharu. The only name from their year to consistently make the news, though, was a Tezuka Kunimitsu. The year after, a Fuji Syuusuke also made the news as Seigaku's tennis prodigy. Oishi Syuichirou and Kikumaru Eiji also emerged as a Nationals level doubles team - but there was still no news about any Inui Sadaharu. It took until the third years retired to study for him to find an article detailing the results of a match between some team and Seigaku, noting the debut of a strange style of tennis that seemed almost like predicting the future - Inui Sadaharu's data tennis.

From then, he almost obsessively followed the other's progress. Until reports came of a remarkable first year kicking the Seigaku third out of the regulars, he held no doubts about facing his former partner once again.

"Genichirou, I want to go check out this freshman. It'll just be one day."

"No you don't. You want to see that Inui."

"But I also want to see the first year play."

"Only because he beat Inui. No means no, Renji. We do not need to belittle our standings by checking out rival schools. If you have free time, practice."

"Practice isn't everything."

"What about Seiichi then? Have you thought about his feelings? Look Renji, we both know why you came in the first place. You came and took Seiichi. Don't you think he and I know that you were in love with your former partner? And yet he still chose you. Are you going to leave him alone at the hospital while you visit a former crush?"

Brown eyes opened wide as Yanagi stared at his vice captain. Genichirou couldn't mean... could he? Back in their first year, he had just entered Rikkai, the three of them had formed an instantaneous bond. Freshly hurt from leaving Tokyo - and Sadaharu - Yanagi had, in a sense, rebounded on the gentle, kind Yukimura Seiichi. The tennis player and the friend were very different people. Seiichi had been lined up in doubles with Yanagi while Genichirou played singles. Seiichi was good at reading tennis players, and he was also good at reading people. He saw almost immediately that Yanagi was used to playing doubles, but at the same time, their combination wasn't perfect, because Yanagi didn't see blue-haired Seiichi when playing doubles. No, Yanagi's eyes and style showed he was expecting his partner - his complement - to be playing with him. No matter with whom he played, the result was always the same. Seiichi had confronted him one day.

_"Yanagi-kun, who do you see when you look for someone to hit the ball?"_

_"What?"_

_"Your former partner. Why don't you play with him anymore? You don't see any of us as your partner - you're always sensing someone else."_

_"It's nothing. Sorry I'm not concentrating. I'll try harder next time."_

_"Are you afraid of something? Please tell me. I'd like us to be friends."_

_"Yukimura-kun..."_

_"Just call me Seiichi."_

_Somehow, with that offer of friendship, trust and loyalty, one quiet boy drew out the tormented story of another just like him. The confusion the latter felt when he found himself looking at his former partner more and more, found himself wanting to spend more and more time with the young human calculator, the fright and panic when he realized he was attracted to his best friend and partner, the mess he was in when other people found out, and his pain since leaving. It had all come out, intermixed with soft repressed sobs. The future captain's eyes had grown larger and larger, understanding filling them with tears he mixed with his new friend's. Yanagi knew he was taking a huge risk, telling his new friend everything; the problem was, keeping it to himself, with neither outlet nor comfort, was just too much for an eleven-year-old._

_Then Seiichi had extended his arms and hugged him. By then, Yanagi had been unable to control his tears. In the quiet, deserted clubroom where they had first met, Seiichi had whispered, "Will you be mine?"_

And now - was Genichirou telling him that he had liked Seiichi also?

"Renji. I thought your data was more complete than this. I gave up Seiichi because you seemed to need him. And I wanted him to be happy. But on the day he left me, I swore to him that if you ever betrayed him, I wouldn't hesitate to take him back."

That afternoon, Yanagi held a bouquet of irises as he stood in front of a hospital door. Stepping in, he smiled upon seeing his boyfriend sitting up, staring out the window. "It's a nice day, isn't it?" The melodious voice hadn't changed so much as a tone from the voice that had asked him out two years prior.

"Yea, it is. Would you like to go for a walk?" A comfortable silence ensued as Seiichi smiled his agreement and prepared for an afternoon in the hospital courtyard.

"You still think of him, don't you?" Yanagi's movement stopped as he turned to look at Seiichi. They stared at each other for a long minute, neither wanting to back down from the other, but neither wanting to hurt the other. Seiichi's next words were careful, slow, and just a little pained. "I'm not letting you go so easily, Renji." There was another pause, briefer this time. "Why can't I replace him?"

"You also love someone else, do you not?"

Seiichi barely had time to look surprised before catching himself, smiling instead. "I should've known I couldn't hide anything from you. But I still care more for you-"

"He loves you too."

"What?"

"Genichirou. He's waiting for your return. He already threatened to take you from me."

"Still?"

"Mm-hm."

There was a strained silence before Seiichi next spoke. "Kantou's next." Yanagi noted his boyfriend-captain's attempt to cover up the tension, and tried to help him along.

"Yea."

"He'll be there."

"Yea."

"Will you play him?"

"Please."

"You're confident. Are you sure they can beat Hyoutei?"

"Doubtless."

"Ganbatte, ne?"

"Ah."

* * *

In the weeks that followed, he spent nearly all his free time either training or visiting the hospital. Truthful, though spending time with Seiichi was far more appealing than with Genichirou or Akaya, he still passed more hours on the court than with his boyfriend. Simply put, Yanagi Renji was confused. It's the law of knowing the future, isn't it? One could know everything except that which pertains to himself. Similarly, the Master could know the thoughts and actions of every tennis player, but he couldn't read himself or foresee his own actions. For that reason alone, he played tennis until someone made him stop. He didn't visit the hospital more than the minimum required as the boyfriend. The first match at Kantou went by in the blink of an eye - Ginkachuu forfeited, and that was that. 

"Weird," Marui commented, before shrugging and digging into his bag, probably searching for some sweet, Yanagi guessed. He smiled when his red-haired teammate produced a strangely unsquashed caked from the very abused bag and began eating.

"Don't relax too much," Genichirou noted. Yanagi looked at him, eyebrow rising upon noting the dark look that had fallen over his vice captain's face. "We have stronger opponents to come." Following the glare of death, Yanagi saw a distinct blue and white jersey running to a court.

"Relax, Genichirou," he said. "Let's just be thankful for this extra bye, and go watch some matches."

"Yea, Seigaku's playing Hyoutei, aren't they? Let's go check out that match," Akaya noted. Yanagi met Genichirou's long gaze head on.

_I've got nothing to fear from him._

Oblivious, Akaya continued, "I want to see that Tezuka play. And aren't they supposed to have a prodigy? And some super rookie?"

"Aren't you being unusually talkative today?" Genichirou snapped, tone belying the admission of defeat.

"No, he always talks a lot. Today, he just happens to be saying strangely useful things," Niou offered. Yanagi smiled. That indeed did define Akaya well, and Genichirou's backing down meant they would go see Seigaku play.

"Fine. But let's go watch Yamabuki and Rokkaku first. Hyoutei and Seigaku will both put up good fights - neither will lose in three matches." In the end, only Akaya and himself wanted to see the matches. Genichirou had come solely for the purpose of keeping an eye on Yanagi. After saying goodbye to the others, they went to watch Rokkaku's match, and then Yamabuki's. Finally, they arrived at the busiest court around - the one were two of Tokyo's top teams were facing each other head on.

"Heh... so it's Tezuka and Atobe already, huh?" Akaya commented. "Interesting." Yanagi was quite disappointed - Sadaharu's match was already over. He could see a head of black, spiky hair in a Seigaku jersey with the rest of the Regulars team though - while the build was a lot taller and muscular than he had remembered, there was no doubt that that was indeed Sadaharu.

Soon, a murmur started spreading throughout the crowd when people started noticing the presence of "Rikkaidai's Sanada Genichirou and Yanagi Renji, and isn't that their junior ace, Kirihara Akaya?" Sadaharu turned to look up, and Yanagi saw him taking notes in the exact same brand of notebooks he himself had once also used. Unsure what to do, he put on a cold front as their gaze met again for the first time in many years. Without any sign of recognition other than the long look, Sadaharu turned back to the game.

They would meet in the finals, Yanagi decided. They would. They had to - there had to be a final match, or else he could never reach a conclusion with this.

"You saw him now, are you satisfied?" Genichirou demanded on the ride back to Kanagawa. Akaya was sleeping away, happy smile on his angelic face masking the demon hidden within.

"No," Yanagi said. Without letting Genichirou cut in, he added, "Let me play him." There was a pause as he thought over the right words to use and Genichirou thought over a potential lineup against Seigaku. "Let me play him, and there's a 76 chance that I will finally be able to get over him and get on with my life, with Seiichi." Genichirou gave a curt nod, and the matter was settled. Now, they just had to both reach finals - while that wasn't a problem for Rikkai, Seigaku was still a wildcard. The data indicated that Seigaku could win, if they made the lineups that they needed to. There was no way for Yanagi to know if they realized that though, and Tezuka's injury was definitely going to hurt them.

* * *

When the two teams approached their respective stands and settled in for the match, Yanagi was stiff as a board. Seiichi would be undergoing operation in a few hours - they needed to finish the match before then. The team had visited Seiichi the day before to discuss strategies for the finals, and to promise him the championship. Yanagi had lingered behind to tell Seiichi that he would be facing Sadaharu. 

_"Are you sure about this?" The sun was setting in front of them, and Yanagi couldn't help but think that were they anyone else, discussing anything else, it might have been a romantic setting._

_"Yes. I need to play him at least once before I can fully forget him. Please, Seiichi." Yanagi opened his eyes and stared into Seiichi's eyes, searching for something other than the worries and the pain that he found. He needed some assurance that Seiichi was really OK with this. He really did love Seiichi to some degree, and didn't want to hurt him if possible. Still, he needed to know, or else he'd just keep hurting everyone involved. It was a lose-lose situation if Seiichi couldn't accept it._

_"All right. But report your match to me immediately after it's over." Seiichi's voice was steady and measured, every word carefully thought over and decided._

_Yanagi's mouth tightened into a thin white line as he nodded. "I promise." Seiichi needed the assurance - Yanagi had just promised more than just reporting match scores, he had also promised he would return. Seiichi was number one to Yanagi, period._

_"And Renji?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"Win."_

_"Yes."_

Both doubles teams won as planned. Niou and Yagyuu managed to pull off some crazy switch; Niou would get a scolding for that later in private. Yanagi stepped onto the court as Sadaharu took off his jacket and entered the court also. Unsure how to act, Yanagi sealed off himself inside and let the Master take control. His words to Sadaharu came out cold and calculated. Genichirou was watching him closely for any slipup, and he wouldn't allow it. He had a promise to keep.

Their match was fierce - at least, Yanagi had thought it was fierce. After he broke Sadaharu's serve, Yanagi prepared to serve the final game in their match. The score was five-four, and Sadaharu had abandoned his data - all hope was lost for Seigaku. "Here I come Sadaharu, prepare yourself!"

"I will definitely not lose."

Sadaharu's words and his own echoed in Yanagi's ears as a feeling of déjà vu swept over him. It was the same as that time - that first and last time they had played, that unfinished game that marked the last time he'd seen Sadaharu until this month. The scores, the play-by-play, everything had been the same. Everything came rushing back to him - Sadaharu's voice taunted him and he yelled, sending the ball flying into the other court. He would win. He needed to win. He needed to be beat Sadaharu, so that he didn't need to confess. His promise to himself, all the emotions he'd felt when leaving Tokyo, it all came flooding back into Yanagi as if a floodgate had opened. There was no more data. Data would not do anything anymore - they could only play for the victory. They could only play to finally determine who was better.

"Game set won by Seigaku Inui, seven games to six!" Sadaharu raised his arms in victory and Yanagi felt his stomach tighten and his heart pounded from more than just the physical exertion.

"The captain's surgery will begin soon," Yagyuu noted as Yanagi stood silently in front of Genichirou.

"Will we make it on time?" Marui asked.

"No, more importantly, this one loss, this loss can't be easily overlooked. This was a match that you could have won. You let your personal feelings get in the way." Genichirou was always direct and to the point - he was spot on this time, also. It had been his emotions that had led to his defeat. If he had been an actual Master, as his name suggested, even that kind of emotional pounding would not have affected his playing. If he had cared enough for Seiichi, if he had been able to forget Sadaharu and just honestly loved Seiichi from the bottom of his heart, he should've - no, would have - been able to ignore everything in his past that included Sadaharu and won. That he could not do that posed a larger problem than the loss itself in what it proved, except no one but Seiichi, Genichirou, and Yanagi himself knew that.

"I'm very sorry; I've broken the promise with Seiichi." Everyone else thought Yanagi Renji meant the promise for the team to be undefeated until the captain's return - only Genichirou and Yanagi knew which promise he actually meant. No one else mattered anymore; it was just two boys in love with the same person, except the less deserving one had him and the other, the one who truly loved that person with all of his heart, did not. "Please hit me!" Yanagi said, knowing fully well that he was deserving of a much harsher beating than anything Genichirou would give him. Remembering where they were though, he added, "You must set an example for the rest of the members."

Akaya prevented that from occurring though. Akaya, who Yanagi had thought didn't care about anything or anyone but himself, had stopped Genichirou's hand with his racket. In his arrogant manner, he declared that he'd finish it with enough time for them to give Seiichi the championship before his surgery started. As Akaya began his match, Yanagi pulled out his cell phone to call Seiichi. Then he put down the phone. He wasn't worthy of calling Seiichi anymore. What he needed to do was explain everything to Sadaharu, as he had vowed four years, two months, and fifteen days ago. In the absence of his call, Seiichi would understand everything. He could see Seiichi in the hospital room, ready for his surgery, realizing as the minutes ticked by that someone had lost. He could see Seiichi's eyes darkening as he realized from the lack of Yanagi's call informing him of any doubles loss that it was the singles three match that had been lost. He could see Seiichi's hand clench as he realized that meant the gamble was lost.

Maybe they could go back to the way things were and should always have been. Maybe Genichirou could help Seiichi the way Seiichi had once helped Yanagi. Yanagi wondered what was in store for himself, though.

* * *

A lot (read: most) of the dialogue & actions between "Here I come Sadaharu, prepare yourself!" through "You must set an example for the rest of the members" was straight from the manga - I'm going to hope that doesn't count as plagiarism. As mentioned in the disclaimer, this story is not mine; I just sometimes like setting fics as close to the real storyline as possible, and this one really cut it close. o.0 

It does follow an odd format of flashbacks with the included mixture of past and past perfect tenses that confused me so much I ended up deciding to heck with it all, I'm not an English major, I'm an engineer. If I've made any atrocious errors or if it's difficult to follow, PLEASE let me know and I'll try to do a better job of rechecking my tenses. And have I mentioned hating FFN's new formatting junk yet? Rawr! It looks horrible with the lines and the formatting was changed from what it originally was. sad

So yea.. aside from that, comments/critiques/questions/errors all welcome, as usual. More of The Second Meeting is on the way.


	2. Only The Championship

Title: Only The Championship Rated: PG Main Character: Sanada Genichirou  
Disclaimer: not mine, cool? cool.  
Um: Not so much a sequel as a partner story; the order you read them doesn't really matter. 

Note: You may be disturbed by the ages that they started out at for the fic as much as I was... just tell yourself "it's a different world so whatever"?

* * *

_"Learn how to work with a team, and you'll be unstoppable."__  
"Yes."_

"Who's that guy?"  
"Sanada Genichirou? He's in my class. He keeps to himself most of the time though."  
"I heard he's from a really traditional family."  
"What's he doing in the tennis club then?"

* * *

There were a lot of freshmen signed up for the tennis club. His sensei should be happy with that - there was a huge team for him to learn from. However, while there were a few familiar faces from his classes, he didn't really know anyone. It didn't matter. Sanada always succeeded at what he did, and he'd succeed at tennis. He was athletic by nature, and years of training in the dojo had polished his raw talent into almost flawless skill. 

Sanada made a name for himself on the first day. The captain had probably thought to show all the freshmen how much improvement they needed by ordering thirty laps from them. Within a few minutes, Sanada and two other freshmen were clearly at the head of the pack. By the time they were rounding their twentieth lap, they were the only ones still running - the other freshmen had either slowed down or collapsed. When they finished their thirty laps, the captain congratulated them with a stunned expression and offered to let them start practicing on the courts the next day.

In the clubroom after practice that day, Sanada made his first friend.

_"Hi, my name's Yukimura Seiichi. You're Sanada Genichirou-kun, right?"_

It was simple, really. Tennis came to Sanada naturally - the racket felt different from his katana, but he adjusted quickly. Yukimura and the other freshman, Yanagi, had been playing tennis since elementary school and played very well together in doubles. Sanada failed miserably the first time he tried doubles - he chased after every ball and didn't pay attention to Yanagi at all. The captain offered to let him try singles, but he was determined to succeed at doubles. Yukimura and Yanagi helped him, giving him tips and telling him when to let a ball go for his partner to get. After he and Yukimura defeated a team of senpai six-three, Sanada switched to singles. It didn't matter if he wasn't good at doubles - he had two friends, and was learning something new about teamwork everyday.

Sanada could feel himself growing to trust his teammates more and more. Where he once fought solely for himself, he now fought knowing that his loss would affect more than just himself. In addition, he liked spending time with Yukimura and Yanagi, watching matches between senpai and video tapes of professional matches. Yanagi was brilliant - he said his style was called "data tennis." At first, Sanada was kind of creeped out by how Yanagi seemed to always be where the ball was, but he soon learned to just accept it as part of they mysterious boy from Tokyo, who never opened his eyes and actively tried to avoid making friends.

His friendship with Yukimura grew stronger every day. The day the captain announced that the three of them would be playing as Regulars in the district tournament, the two of them had gone out for dinner to celebrate. The next day, Yukimura was waiting for Sanada in front of his house so they could walk to school together. When his mother asked who the polite young man was, Sanada told her, "My best friend"Sanada would never forget the day they won the district tournament. It had been a pretty easy win - Yukimura and Yanagi had won doubles two six-two, doubles one won six-zero, and he won singles three six-one. That wasn't what was burned into his memory of that beautiful spring day though. After a team celebration dinner that evening, he and Yukimura walked home together, and Yukimura told him that he was going to ask out Yanagi. Sanada was confused - he knew about dating and all that, but he'd never thought much about it. So he just gave some vague words of encouragement, and they moved on to discuss their matches that day

When he was alone in his room that night, Sanada lay on his back and stared up at his ceiling. He wasn't sure why felt lonely. He had a good friend and teammate in Yukimura, didn't he? And if Yukimura were to become good friends with Yanagi, maybe Sanada would also gain an additional friend. His sensei had praised him on how much he had improved - he was getting better and better at reading people and his mental stamina was steadily strengthening. Who knew working on a team could help with that? Still, as he shifted onto his left side and curled into a fetal position, he wondered why his chest hurt, just a little.

The next day, Sanada spent an extra long time on the courts after practice was over, hitting a ball against a wall and trying to increase his speed with each swing. After two hundred swings without a single miss, he picked up his stuff and headed to the clubroom. Just outside the door though, he heard soft voices, and somehow couldn't bring himself to announce his presence. Instead, he carefully stood just behind the door and listened to a sniffling Yanagi tell his listener about his past year and the reason he transferred to Rikkai. Listening to the story of love and hurt unfold, Sanada learned more about what trust meant than he had in the past month of being on a team. When Yanagi finished, Sanada heard what was doubtlessly Yukimura's voice whispering some words, and then silence. He didn't need to hear what Seiichi said to know what had just gone on, though, and decided to just go home without interrupting them.

Yukimura called him that evening to tell him that Yanagi agreed to dating him. Sanada congratulated him, then, without thinking, blurted, "If he ever hurts you, Yukimura, I'll always be by your side."

There was only a brief pause before Seiichi responded, "Thank you, Sanada." After hanging up, Sanada headed straight for the dojo, practicing with his katana until he couldn't lift it above his waist.

The rest of the year had passed by Sanada as if it were a dream. Yukimura was spending more and more time outside of practice with Renji. Without Yukimura by his side, opening him up, Sanada again withdrew into his shell. He practiced more and harder than ever before, perfecting two of what would become his signature four moves. They went to Nationals together that fall, winning the finals with Yukimura and Yanagi in doubles one and Sanada in singles two. The three freshmen from Rikkai gathered more attention than the rest of the tournament's participants combined.

That day, they promised each other to keep the championship title at Rikkai, together. They wouldn't let their hard-earned victory be taken from them. He and Renji started using each other's first names, but he and Yukimura seemed to have some unspoken agreement to stay professional.

The following spring brought them an interesting new first year. After being granted permission to practice on the courts much as Rikkai's Three Demons had the year before, Kirihara Akaya proceeded to defeat junior after junior, injuring many in the process, until Yukimura stepped in to face him. The three of them each beat him until he couldn't even stand. When Renji beat Kirihara, a week after Yukimura first did, Kirihara's eyes were bloodshot.

"Shit! I'm definitely... definitely going to beat you three guys! I will be number one!" Kirihara lay prone on the court, struggling to stand up, but his eyes flashed with anger and humiliation.

"What an interesting new member," Yukimura commented to himself, smiling in a way that Sanada had no idea what was on his mind. Renji stood on the opposite side of Yukimura, looking none the worse for wear from his match.

"Is he joking?" Sanada raised an eyebrow. The determination Kirihara showed was staggering. Sanada had always been good at reading his opponents, and he could tell that Kirihara had unknown amounts of raw potential hidden inside him. It would be interesting to watch the kid develop into a formidable opponent - no, teammate. Kirihara definitely had just as much determination for winning as he himself did.

Watching Akaya develop, Sanada grew to finally understand what his sensei meant about working on a team. Akaya's talent wasn't any less than his, Yukimura's and Renji's. However, Akaya didn't have anyone to really train with, whereas the three of them trained together and overcame the natural limitations to a person's rate of growth by supporting and pushing each other. One plus one didn't add to two in training - it added to more than two. Akaya pushed them hard, constantly demanding matches regardless of propriety. Renji developed a special interest in the first year, and the jump in Akaya's improvement once Renji started helping him was blatantly visible. Still, Sanada ignored him, opting to perfect his Fuu Rin Ka Zan instead. It was clear that Akaya would be wearing a Regular's jersey before the cherry blossoms were done blooming in the following spring.

They won nationals that year also, with Yukimura playing singles one, Renji in doubles one and Sanada in singles two, as if to say the name Rikkai's Three Demons was here to stay. The tennis world was abuzz with news of the best junior high tennis players in Japan, but they ignored the outside world and kept their eyes only on the future.

Yukimura, by then undoubtedly one of the top junior high tennis players in all of Japan, was chosen to be the captain for the following year before the then-captain had even retired, and Sanada would be his vice captain. When they weren't practicing themselves, they were watching the other juniors practice, trying to figure out a good Regulars lineup. Akaya was definitely on the list. They had Yagyuu Hiroshi and Niou Masaharu selected also, when one day during lunch, Yukimura collapsed. At first, Sanada thought Yukimura was probably just exhausted, since the boy had just had a growth spurt, and his relationship with Renji was going through a rough time. He wasn't prepared for the sentence passed on his captain-to-be by the hospital.

"Guillain-Barre Syndrome?" It seemed even Renji had never heard of the illness before. Before the nurse could respond, though, Yagyuu cut in.

"It seems to be a disease of the immune system whose causes are unknown. It typically begins with weakness in the arms and legs, and eventually the body will lose its ability to move around freely." Fresh off the phone with his doctor father, Yagyuu related to them what he had just learned about the illness that caused Yukimura's collapse as the nurse watched him with hearts in her eyes, despite the fact that Yagyuu was at least ten years her junior. "If the situation worsens, the respiratory system can become paralyzed and the patient will have trouble breathing, talking, and even eating. The disease reaches its peak two weeks after the initial outbreak."

"Can it be cured?" Renji wanted to know.

"At the earliest, it will take at least one month. At the latest, it could take over a year," Yagyuu trailed off as Yukimura was pushed past them on a stretcher.

"Yukimura! We shall wait for your return undefeated!" Sanada found himself yelling after his unconscious captain. It didn't matter what had or hadn't happened between them in the past. What mattered was the promise to win Nationals together one more time. When Yukimura was discharged from the hospital, having scheduled surgery for the following summer, he came straight to tennis practice. Even though he wasn't allowed to play, he stood outside the courts and watched, giving pointers when possible. Finally, when the seniors retired, Yukimura and Sanada officially took over the posts of captain and vice captain and sat down to make their lineup.

"So, Marui, Jackal, Niou, Yagyuu, Akaya, Renji, you and me?" Yukimura questioned that day, fingers rubbing gentle circles in his temple as he looked over the roster. The disease had already taken a heavy toll on the boy - he looked so small, and his jacket had already become too big for him. Without his customary headband, Yukimura's hair framed his face, softening his already feminine features. Sanada wanted to reach out and stroke that hair, maybe help ease some of the tension from his captain's shoulders.

Instead, he nodded. "Sounds right to me."

"They'll be our Nationals team."

"Our team."

"Yea. Remember, Sanada - you promised. You must not lose."

"We won't, but you have to be back before Nationals."

"I will. I promise."

* * *

Senior year unfolded as planned - Yukimura weakened so much that he stopped going to school, and was finally admitted into the hospital until the date of his surgery. Meanwhile, Sanada brought him biweekly reports of the team's progress. Sometimes, he'd run into Renji also visiting, and they'd talk and watch videos of matches together, just like they had as freshmen. Except it wasn't the same anymore. It wasn't each of them watching for themselves - it was them watching for their teammates, pointing out who needed what kinds of drills. 

One such visit particularly stood out in Sanada's mind. He passed Renji in the hospital lobby - he'd just arrived and Renji was on his way out. The instant Sanada stepped into Yukimura's room and saw his fragile-looking captain sitting, shoulders hunched, he could tell something was wrong. "Yukimura? I just passed Renji in the lobby... are you crying?"

"No, no what makes you think that?"

Sanada walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. He raised a finger to Yukimura's cheek, wiping away the moisture he found. "That." He stood, taking off his cap and setting it down on Yukimura's bedside table. Taking a seat in the visitor's chair, he said, "You don't have to be so strong all the time, Yukimura. We're in this together." Still, Yukimura didn't say anything. "Is it about Inui?"

"You know about that?" Yukimura didn't appear very surprised, nor did he deny what Sanada was implying.

"We saw him today at Kantou. I couldn't stop him and Akaya from going to watch the Hyoutei-Seigaku match."

"He wants to play Inui."

"He thinks he can win."

"Do you doubt it?"

"I think there's a chance he won't." Noting the odd look that earned him, Sanada continued, "I'm sorry, but I don't think Renji's over him quite yet."

There was a pause before Yukimura responded. "I know. I told him it would be OK."

"If he loses..."

"Then I lose him. But Rikkai never loses. We strive only for the championship - everything else is worthless."

"True. And we won't lose - not with our team. We'll win Nationals again, undefeated." Sanada had wanted to remind Yukimura of his vow to be there for Yukimura if Renji ever left him, but now didn't seem like the right time to bring that up. They shouldn't have backup plans, because losing simply wasn't an option.

"You must not lose."

* * *

Kantou went by uneventfully; Rikkai won all of their matches without a hitch. Not one game was lost. Just a few days before the finals, Sanada went for his regular visit to his captain. "Yukimura, it's finally down to the Kantou Tournament finals. We will advance undefeated to the Nationals." Sanada cracked a small, strong smile, as they stood on the roof of the hospital. Just half a year ago, Yukimura had been sitting at a school desk with Sanada looking at their lineup over his shoulder, promising each other to win another National championship together. "It's not like you to break a promise. Winning the Nationals three years in a row... even without you, we're still a championship caliber team." Even as he said that, he knew Yukimura got the underlying message. The team wouldn't lose tennis matches. Yukimura wouldn't lose Renji. Rikkai didn't lose. 

Suddenly, Renji and the other Regulars burst onto the roof. "Genichirou, we've got some trouble!" Sanada knew immediately from the absence of Jackal and Akaya that it had to be something with Akaya - Jackal was supposed to be keeping him out of trouble.

"Sanada," Yukimura called to him, just as he was about to leave. "Sorry to have caused you so much trouble."

When he got to the courts and found out that Akaya had lost to the Seigaku freshman, Sanada was so angry he couldn't speak for several seconds. The other seniors filled in for him.

"Kirihara-kun, I want you to reflect over what you've done," Yagyuu started.

"The most important thing for us, Rikkai Dai Fuzoku, to accomplish right now is to win a third straight national title. However..." Marui trailed off as his bubble got too big for him to speak with it.

"Losing is not acceptable," Renji filled in for him.

"Duh!" Niou exclaimed, as if to just join in on the chastising.

"You must not lose," Sanada said, the image of Yukimura coming to mind. He knew that this couldn't be kept from Yukimura. That couldn't take precedence in his mind though - they still had a Nationals to win. "Even if it is not an official match, that is the law of Rikkai Dai Fuzoku."

That night, Sanada couldn't sleep; he went to meditate in the dojo instead. It was impressive how the other seniors understood the need for Rikkai to continue through Nationals undefeated just as much as he, Yukimura and Renji did. At some point, it had become the entire team's philosophy, and not just their's. Maybe that's what being a team was about - striving to achieve a common goal together. After an hour of meditation, he drew his katana and started practicing. Echizen. Seigaku. Inui. Renji. Yukimura. And just think, none of this would have happened if his sensei hadn't told him to learn to work with a team.

* * *

Rikkai lost. It was inexplicable. Not only did he probably have to explain Renji's loss to Yukimura, he also had to explain his own. Nonetheless, that wasn't something to show the stands right now. "The champions Rikkaidai... that is a thing of the past." He knew his teammates were walking up behind him, ready to support him even in their second-place finish. They pulled together into a huddle, each supporting and leaning against the person next to him. "This year, we shall enter the Nationals as 'Challengers.' Naturally, in order to reclaim our throne!" 

"Yes sir!" his teammates responded.

"Seigaku! We will defeat you guys at the Nationals! The Nationals won't be easy - at least win until we face each other again!"

They would win. Defeat was never absolute. They would still win Nationals, and their promise wouldn't be broken. It would be OK. When time came for them to pick up their second place certificate, Sanada rejected it. Using Yukimura's words, he explained, "We strive only for the championship - everything else is worthless." For Yukimura. They'd win for him, his mind added.

* * *

A reasonable portion of the dialogue comes straight from the manga (the Kirihara/Yukimura/Sanada scene, the introduction of the GB Syndrome scene, the hospital rooftop - Echizen/Kirihara match scene, and the response to losing Kantou finals scene) - I'm going to hope that doesn't count as plagiarism. As mentioned in the disclaimer, this story is not mine; I just sometimes like setting fics as close to the real storyline as possible, and this one really cut it close. o.0 

So yea.. aside from that, comments/critiques/questions/errors all welcome, as usual.


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